Adjustable plate cylinder mounting for printing presses



June 22, 1965 R. P. WILLARD 3,190,218

ADJUSTABLE PLATE CYLINDER MOUNTING FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 24, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 719. .Z Pr/brrfrf ATTORNEYS June 22, 1965 R. P. WILLARD 3,190,218

ADJUSTABLE PLATE CYLINDER MOUNTING FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 24, 1962 s Sheets-Shee t 2 June 22, 1965 R. P. WILLARD 3,190,218

ADJUSTABLE PLATE CYLINDER MOUNTING FOR PRINTING PRESSES Filed Aug. 24, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,190,218 ADJUSTABLE PLATE CYLINDER MOUNTING FOR PRmTlNG PRESSES Robert P. Willard, Durham, N.'H., assiguor to Kidder Press Company, Inc., Dover, N.H., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug; 24, 1962, Ser. No. 219,171 1 Claim. (Cl. 101-247) This invention relates to printing presses and more particularly to means for moving plate cylinders to and from the impression cylinder and the ink rolls, both for going on and off impression and for the accommodation of plate cylinders of different sizes.

The general object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved press embodying features associated with the mounting of the plate cylinders which will not only facilitate the accurate and precise positioning of the plate in operative relation to the impression cylinder and the ink rolls, but will also eliminate the problem of excessive vibration that has come to be associated with printing stations of this type now in use.

The invention is particularly advantageous when its principles are applied to a central impression cylinder type of press where say four printing stations are employed, two above and two below the diameter of the impression cylinder. In prior art devices the lower stations have been particularly subject to excessive vibration due to the weak support aliorded the plate cylinder during operative contact with the impression cylinder, aswill be pointed out further in the present specification.

Other objects and features of novelty, including novel mounting details and associated means for efiectingboth axial and rotative adjustments of theplate ,cylinden'will be apparent from the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which certain embodiments of theinvention are illustrated by way of example.

In the drawings: i

FIGURE 1 is a schematic view in elevation of a prior art device showing the means employed for adjusting the printing head and its plate cylinder to andfrom the impression cylinder and the inking rolls, in a stack type printing station; 7 j

FIGURE 2 is a similar view showing diagrammatically the novel arrangement of a similar stack type station afforded by the present invention;

FIGURE 3' is a digramrn'atic view in elevation of onehalf of the installation of'a prior art device for use in 'connection with a large central common impression cylinder as for multi-color work;

FIGURE 4 is a similar view showing the opposite half of an installation of the'same type but involving my novel pivoted head arrangement;

FIGURE 5 is a more detailed view in side elevation of? a printing station embodying the principles of the present invention;

1, FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged-detail view of a device for: limiting the adjustment movement of the plate cylinder assembly FIGURE 8 is a sectional view taken on line 88 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary view in side elevation as seen from the right-hand side of FIGURE 6. q

. In printing presses of the type illustratedand described herein there have always been problems resulting from vibration and bounce arisingfrom the particular con- Patented June 22, 1965 range of plate cylinder diameters. This requires that there be some means of adjusting the relative positions of the plate cylinder, impression cylinder, and inking rolls to accommodate larger or smaller plate cylinder diameters. In addition, the plate cylinder must at times be moved away frornthe impression cylinderand the inking rolls simultaneously. During the printing operation of course it has to be in good operativecontact .With both.

To meet all of the above conditions and still have a rigid mounting for the plate cylinder has been a diflicult design problem. It is not easy to obtain both the rigidity.

14A respectively. The impression cylinder 12 is of course: fixed and rotatably mounted in the frame as by means of the shaft or axle indicated diagrammatically at 15, and the web W is shown passing between the impression cylinder 12 and the plate cylinder 14. The plate'cylinder 14 is supported by a head 16, the head having a vertical post or bar 17 which is adjustably received within a socket 18 in the top of the angle portion 19 of the pedestal 10. The inking devices represented generally by the reference character 20 may comprise the ink cylinder 21 which is generally of the knurled surface type and the rubber ink roll 22.

Now in this prior art construction, for larger or smaller diameter plate cylinders, the pedestal is moved to or from the impression cylinder and the ink rolls are moved to or from the plate cylinder. It Will be noted that with the plate cylinder set up for operation in the printing position the head 14 settles down solidly on the end of the pedestal bracket 10. v

In the dotted line position of FIGURE 1 the plate cylinder is shown shifted into non-printing position in the conventional set-up. This is accomplished by raising the head up from the pedestal on the short stub shaft 17. This of course causes the plate cylinder to move away from contact with both impression cylinder 12 and the ink cylinder 21.

The major weakness of the conventional arrangement herein shown is that there is clearance between the stub shaft holding the head and the pedestal itself. This must be so if the head is free to move relative to the pedestal. Furthermore, the head which carries the plate cylinder is relatively light in weight and does not have enough mass to dampen any vibratory movement of the plate cylinder. The result is that particularly as the press .bccomes older there is excessive play or lost motion between the head carrying the plate cylinder and the pedestal itself. This results in poor printing and limited speed of operation.

By contrast, there is shown in FIGURE 2 of the drawings in quite diagrammatic fashion one embodiment of the present invention wherein the pedestal bracket 25 is of a general U-shaped configuration having a rearward arm 26 pivoted at 27 to the press frame and an opposite arm 28 which carries the plate cylinder 30. The impression cylinder is indicated at 12 and the web at W and the inking system at 20, 21, and 22 as in the former figure.

.There is no plate carrying head here, but the plate 30 mounted in journals at 32 on the arms 28, pivots about the point 27, and can move from the solid line impression position to the dotted line ofi-irnpr'ession position indicated at 34. p

Thus, the head and the pedestal formerly employed 3' sion or to raise the plate from both the impression and ink cylinders.

The advantage of this construction is that there has been eliminated the joint and sliding fit between the head and the pedestal.

The mass of material supporting the plate has been increased from that which was a relatively small amount'cornprised in the head to the mass of the entire pedestal. There has been substituted for the former sliding stub shaft in the top of the pedestal, a closely fitting pivotpoint which can be set up and adjusted very precisely. V I

FIGURES 3 and 4 give a realistic comparison between .the prior art devices and the mechanism afforded by the a present invention when applied to a large common central impression cylinder as for rnulti-color Work. 7 Some of the color stations are .locatedbelowfthe center. of the cause the supporting base member 45 to move along the slide bracket42 to the desired position, theshaft 50 being threaded through the bracket 52 rising from the base bracket 42. t 7

Similarly, a sub-base member 55 is adjustable along the main base member 45 bya similar screw arrangement indicated at 56, threaded through the bracket 57 and operated by the hand knob 58. This will cause the two inking. rolls to be adjusted back and forth upon the main sup-:- port. 1 A further refinement comprises means for ad usting the rubber roll 22' itself. This is accomplished ,by

means of the screw shaft 60 threaded through the bracket .61 and; operated by the knob 62. Thus, the various large'impress'ion drum 35 while others are located above 7 it; for example, for the moment considering FIGURES 3 and '4 in combinatiomthe first color station may be in-I dicated at A, the second color station at B, the, third color station at C, and thefourth color station at D. Stations A and D are of courseabove the axis of the cylinder and stations B and C below; In thecase of stations A and D it is necessary to lower the plate cylinder intocontact with both the drum and the. ink roll whilst in the case of stations B and C the plate cylinder is raised from idle posi-.

tion to come into contact with the impression cylinder and the ink roll.

Nowexamining the separate 'illustrations' of the prior artand of the present invention, it is important to note that there is particularly a serious weakness at color station B, because to raise the-plateficylinder to printing position the head must'be raised from the pedestal and this removesthe head from its steady. rest upon the pedes tal and results in a shaky flimsy construction. This points up the defect of'the prior art arrangements more emphati-. callyr rollers of. the ink station may be readily adjusted one with.

respect to the other.

Now the plate supporting brackets lor frames 25 forming the pedestal straddle the base frames 45, these frames being of course repeated on both sides of the press as clearlyiindicated in FIGURE 6. The means for moving the plate cylinder bracket25 and thus shifting the'plate cylinder to and from contact with the impression cylinder to the plate cylinder shaft bearing 75. r

Now for color stations an D or. FIGURE 4. where e the pivoted pedestals of the present invention are employed, this construction permits the platecylinder 30 in position D to swing downwardly into printing position,

and in the case of color station C the pedestal swings'the' In each plate cylinder 30 upwardly to printing position. case, the arrangement has the advantage of pivoted pedestal rigidity andone station should print as well as the other. and B where although the plate cylinder 14 at station A is brought down into printing position on top of the: ped- This is in contrast to the condition in stations A estal, thecylinder in position B must rise'upto contact and leave a gap with a subsequent loss of rigidity.

Now fora more specifically detailedexample of the practice of the invention, reference is had to FIGURES The station illustrated is the equiva 519 of the drawings.

lent of station C of FIGURE4. The impression cylinder.

or drum is still indicated by the reference numeral 35 andthe press main frameis shown at'40. The plate cylinder'indicated at 30 is carriedby the swinging pedestal comprising the side frames or brackets 25 having the.

forward or distal portions 28, the rearwardportions 26,

and the arcuately formed pivot means 27. The knurled ink roll is indicated at 21 as in the earlier diagrammatic" figures and. the rubber ink roll at 22."

Certain adjusting means whichwillxbe readilyiunder stood are shown whereby the supporting means for the various rolls maybe moved=to any degree necessary to secure the. proper operative contact. Themain frame 40includes a diagonally arranged slide bracket 42 which provides aguide track for the entire inking and plate cylinderassembly, the base portion'of which isdesignated 45. This base is adjustably secured in position on the inclined slidebracket 42 as by"means of the bolts 47'.

These boltse'xtend through an elongated slot in the base portion 42, the boundariesof which are indicated at 48 and 49. When the bolts 47 are loosened, rotation'of the'screw shaft 50 bymeans of the hand knob 51 will When pressure fluid is supplied to the cylinders 65 the. pistons (not shown) move upwardly and extend the pis-J:

ton rods which serves to raise the plate cylindertoloperl ative contact with the. impression cylinder 35 'and the ink f 7 cylinder 21. Upon reduction of the pressure of the fluid the cylinder and its supporting bracket 45 can return to their lower idle positions. I It is obvious that considerable accuracy must be provided in the limits of the movement of the bracket. 25 and the plate cylinder .30 particularly to'atfordproper rolling contact with the two cylinders with which itgisassociated, and this accurate gauging of the limits of-movement. is effected by the device indicated generally'at" in'FIGURES 5, 7 and 8 of the drawings. This device'is located at the forward leg 28 of the plate cylinder bracket 25 near the curved bottom portion or bight of the U- shaped bracket or pedestal configuration and comprises an eccentric ring or sleeve 82 which has a cylindrical portion 83 entering an opening in'the portion 28 of the bracket 25. 'The flange portion 84 of the member 82 is threaded .to receive the stop or abutment pins 85. and 186,:

these pins being held in accurately adjusted positions by 7 means of the set screws 87 and 88. Projecting from the 1 inner base bracket 45 is the stud 90 which is.v received within the central opening of the. member 82 .and isadapted to be abutted by the stop pins 85 and.86 in. the

respective opposite positions of adjustment of the cylinderbracket 25. The eccentric ring 82 may be rotatably adjusted to vary the position of the stopdevices by loosening g andre-setting the clamp 'screws93 .and 94 which pass through the arcuate slots 95 and 96in the ring.:

- Provision is made for certainnecessary adjustments to the plate cylinder with respect to the supporting brackets? 2 5 in' connection with its axial position andits rotative position. :Viewingparticularl'y FIGURE'67of the draw-:

ings, it will'be seen that a screw shaft l 00yis threaded a through a sleeve 101 which is in fixed relationship with the'shaft bearing 102. .The inner end of the shaftlis rotatively supported as at 104by. oneofthe brackets 25 and longitudinal movement is prevented .by the nut 105 carried by the inner end of the shaft; A knob 106 serves to.

manually rotate the shaft to shift the plate cylinder and itsshaft 110 in'an axial direction.

For rotatively adjusting theplate cylinderatransverse shaft is provided which extends. all the way across the station through a tubular casing 116 from one bracket 25 to the other. A hand knob 117 isprovided at one end of the shaft and the other end carries a sprocket 118 which drives a chain 120 which in turn rotates a sprocket 122 fixed to a screw shaft 125 which is mounted for rotation but against longitudinal movement within the supporting frame 25 at the far end of thepress. V

This screw shaft 125 is threaded into a sleeve 128 which is rigid with the shaft bearing installation designated generally by the numeral 130. Along with this assembly is the bushing 131 which is rigid with the outer sleeve 132, on which is formed a helical gear 135 and which is also splined as at 134 to an inner sleeve 133, which is rigid with the plate cylinder shaft 110.

To effect rotary adjustment of the plate cylinder during actual operation of the press, the sleeve-like members 131 and 132 are moved axially of the cylinder shaft by operation of the hand wheel 117 and the interconnecting mechanism previously described. Lateral motion of the helical gear teeth 135 in mesh with the helical main drive gears, suggested at 140 and 141 results in a rotary adjustment of the plate cylinder gear 135 relative to the gears 140 or 141. This rotary adjustment is transmitted to the plate cylinder 30 through splined connections as indicated at 134 and the sleeve 133. The alternative use of drive gears 140 or 141 depends upon whether the operator is using diametral pitch plate cylinder gearing or A" circular pitch gearing.

Although the principles of the invention have been applied to a letter-press type of machine, they may also be embodied in an ofiset press where a blanket cylinder is brought into and out of rolling contact with the impression cylinder and a plate cylinder.

It is understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a rotary printing press, in combination, a main frame, an impression cylinder rotatably supported upon said main frame in a basically fixed position, a bracket carried by said main frame, a plate cylinder and an inking cylinder both supported solely by said bracket, means on said bracket for adjustably supporting said inking cylinder at a point where it is parallel with and spaced from said impression cylinder a distance less than the diameter of said plate cylinder, a bearing pedestal having 5 one end pivoted from a rearward portion of said bracket at a point more remote'from the impression cylinder than is said inking cylinder, whereby said pedestal is long enough to extend past the inking cylinder from said pivot point to its distal end, a bearing for said plate cylinder 10 carried at the distal end of said pedestal and fixed against radial movement with respect to said pedestal, and means operative between said pedestal and said bracket for swinging said pedestal by purely pivotal movement toward and from a position of substantially simultaneous operative contact of the plate cylinder with both said impression cylinder and said inking cylinder, each pedestal comprising a pair of laterally spaced frame members closely embracing the ends of said inking cylinder, said pedestal.

frame members being U-shaped, the pivot points and the plate cylinder bearings being disposed respectively at the ends of the arms of the U-shaped frame members, and

abutment means limiting the relative movement between said bracket and said pedestal, said abutment means disposed within the bight portions of said U-shaped pedestal frames.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,119 12/09 Wheat 101-352 2,387,750 10/45 Davidson 101-144 X 2,668,496 2/54 Thompson 101-178 2,669,179 2/54 Haspert 101-352 2,672,090 3/54 Dell 101-247 X 2,690,121 9/54 Auerbacher et al. 101-247 X 2,737,109 3/56 Hertsch 101-144 2,787,954 4/57 Gaudet et al 101-247 X 2,893,310 7/59 Johnson 101-182 3,041,967 7/62 Nystrand 101-182 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, LEONARD W. VARNER,

Examiners. 

